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Friday, January 15, 2010

Catching Up - Adelaide's Birth

I have a lot of catching up to do now after taking a blogging break to sleep, rest, enjoy my daughter, and celebrate Christmas with my family. I will start by sharing about Adelaide's birth.

We were planning on inducing labor as I came close to 40 weeks. This would allow me to go into labor in the morning instead of the middle of the night, making it possible for me to get a full night of sleep before labor started. We also knew that Adelaide was growing quickly, and by inducing a week early I could hopefully avoid having to give birth to a 12 pound baby. We had a plan set with my OB, and I was scheduled for induction at the hospital.

But then....I had one last ultrasound and OB appointment. The weight estimate: 10lbs 14oz. Ultrasound weight estimates can be off by a pound. So maybe Adelaide was just 9lbs 14oz. Or maybe she was really 11lbs 14oz. She was either a big baby, or a very big baby!

As we talked over the options with my OB, we decided that it would be best to have a c-section. All along, this is what I really, really wanted to avoid. However, the risks were too great for both me and the baby.

We went ahead with the c-section, and I am so thankful that the Lord led us in this direction. While recovering from a c-section was, and still is, more painful than recovering from my previous labor and delivery, it has also been a much more restful process. I was so weak and tired after giving birth to William 4 years ago that it took me months to recover. Those first four months are mostly a blur. I don't remember much of my son as an infant because I was too out-of-it. This time around I have been able to enjoy my infant daughter, and it has been wonderful!

Our newborn 10 pounds of joy!

I spent my time in the hospital resting and holding my baby as much as possible. We were there for three days. I would have left the day after Adelaide was born if they had let me, but three days was the minimum stay required for a c-section. My doctor knows that I am stubborn and would want to leave earlier, so she warned me going into it that she wasn't going to let me out for three days.

Adelaide gazing up at her Daddy.

William had to wait until we could bring Adelaide home before he could meet her. Because of flu season, no one under the age of 18 was allowed on the floors with babies. My next catching up post will tell about bringing Adelaide home to meet her big brother.

Awww what a cutie pie! Thanks for sharing. I ended up with an emergency c-section after a 3-day labour and, while I do hope to have a natural birth in the future, I, too, was pleasantly surprised by how I felt after the surgery. I had heard horror stories about c-sections but after hearing my friends tell about the discomforts of vaginal birth, I actually felt pretty good about the post c-section discomforts :). So glad it went perfectly for you and your big, healthy girl made a smooth appearance!!